Sunday, February 27, 2022

Attention, Authors! Is this #WritingCommunity for you? #RRBC #writers #authors #freetrial #authorpromo #RaveReviewsBookClub

Hello, beautiful readers and writers! I wanted to share with you an incredible opportunity with you. When I first started writing, I felt alone. I had no guidance as I began my journey of becoming a published author. Then, I found RRBC, and everything changed.

I was immediately embraced by a community (family, really) of authors and readers who supported and encouraged me to share my works with others. They also have taught me valuable lessons as I perfect my craft to create the best stories for my readers. Plus, we have SO much fun! We have writing contests with amazing prizes, conferences that make us better writers, Zoom game nights, and Rave Waves shows that highlight our books and bring us together for interesting topics.

And now, I invite you to join us. I've seen other clubs out there that charge an arm and a leg and then don't offer you any support unless you want to spend even more money. RRBC isn't like that. In fact, RRBC is offering you a 30-day FREE trail membership to check out how amazing we are.

Click on the link below. Take advantage of our trail membership. Add a book to our catalog and experience the amazing support we offer for the next 30 days. If you are searching for a community that uplifts, encourages, and supports you, then you will fit right at home with RRBC. So, take a chance and try us out today!

What: 30-day RRBC trail membership

When: Available until Monday, February 28, 2022, at 5pm CT

Cost: FREE

How: Click here


Tuesday, February 22, 2022

#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 262 #THEMEPROMPT @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #Diatelle #Haiku #Transitions


Hello, beautiful readers! Today, Colleen Chesebro challenged us to write a syllabic poem using the theme of transitions. She also shared a couple of poetry forms to try. One of those is the Diatelle. This form has the syllabic structure of 1/2/3/4/6/8/10/12/10/8/6/4/3/2/1. And if that isn't complicated enough, it uses a rhyme pattern of abbcbccaccbcbba. You can read more about it here

Now, I'm not a big fan of rhymes, but I'm a sucker for challenges. So, here is my attempt a creating a Diatelle. Since the theme is transitions, I decided to think of the day my son graduates from high school or college and what message I'd want to give him. I hope you like it.


son

today

find your way

don't hesitate

the future's yours to slay

you've proven you're one of the great

you pushed through your doubt to decide your fate

commencement's done and now your future has begun

remember failures that made you irate

but those moments couldn't dictate

the success you'd display

dream, work, create

'till you may

convey

done

 

A few of those lines almost made me give up, especially that last line. Trying to find a one-syllable word to rhyme with son that still fits the message was not easy. Graduation is such an important transition in life. I still have a couple of years before my son is walking across that stage and receiving his diploma, but I'm already so proud of all he's achieved. :-)

I almost ended there, but another poem came to me as I was walking away from the computer, so I figured I'd add this little bonus. There are so many transitions in life, so I wanted to honor another one. This time, I wrote a senryu with a 5/7/5 syllabic pattern (or at least, I think I did). 


my earthly life's done

see you on the other side

celebrate today


If you'd like to join in the fun, check out Colleen's post here.

Friday, February 18, 2022

Welcome to Day 5 of the CALLING ALL GRANDMAS Blog Tour featuring Author, Harriet Hodgson! @healthmn1 @4WillsPub @4WP11 @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA



Hello, beautiful readers! Welcome to Day 5 of the Calling All Grandmas Blog Tour with Harriet Hodgson! Harriet is a fabulous woman who cares greatly about the well-being of others. As part of this tour she is giving away a couple of Amazon gift cards simply for leaving a comment below. 

GIVEAWAY:  (2) $5 Amazon gift cards

Here is a piece from Harriet about autographing books. Enjoy!

Autographing Books Isn’t About a Signature

Autographed books sell better than those that aren’t. When I’m asked to autograph books I accept gladly. Being asked to autograph books is flattering, but that isn’t what autograph sessions are about. Rather, they are an opportunity to gather information and learn what people like, don’t like, need, and want.

What have I learned in my 43-year career?

Thick books can scare people. Many people don’t have the time to spend on a book that examines a topic in detail. I write books that are about 240 pages long, including the resource list and index. Some books are much shorter.

The cover can make or break a sale. Most of my books have photos on the covers and they extend, or bleed, to the edges of the book. I looked at more than 2,000 photos before I chose a cover for one of my books.

A casual approach works best. Many people think authors are going to pressure them. To avoid this trap, I ask people where they’re from and joke with them. This usually gets a conversation going.

Autographing is about listening. People have stories to tell, and I listen to them. Some stories are heartbreaking, some make me laugh, and some make me think. Talking with readers is fun.

Please keep these ideas in mind the next time you autograph a book. Amidst the hustle and bustle, amidst the conversation, you may find an idea for your first book or a sequel.

Thank you, Harriet, for sharing these tips with us. I'm curious if any of you have ever gotten an autographed book. What was your experience with the author like? 

Please take a moment to check out The Grandma Force by Harriet Hodgson:

Book Blurb:

Becoming the grandmother of twins changed Harriet Hodgson and altered her life course. According to Hodgson, we live in a fast-paced, complex time, a time when too many grandchildren are victims of bullying, Internet scams, and sexual abuse. Hodgson believes that grandmothers are needed today more than any other time in history.

“Grandmas can’t be passive,” she declares. “Every grandma has the power to protect and guide her grandchildren and needs to tap this power.”

This narrative weaves Hodgson’s personal story with research findings. It’s packed with ideas for helping grandchildren. Hodgson’s age, child development degree, life experience, teaching experience, witness to history, and extensive research converge to make this an inspiring read. Working individually and together, grandmas are changing the world.

The Grandma Force is about the power of love and the power of one,” Hodgson  says. “One-by-one, grandmas are standing up for grandchildren and creating a hopeful future for them.”


Author Bio:

Harriet Hodgson has been making books since she was eight years old. In her 43-year career as a freelancer, she has written 44 books and thousands of print/internet articles. Major publishers, such as Warner Books, John Wiley & Sons, and Hazelden, have published her work. Harriet loves writing so much she writes in her sleep.

Social Media Links:

         Twitter 

         Facebook 

         LinkedIn 

         Instagram 

         Open to Hope Site 

Purchase Links:

          AmazonUS eBook

          AmazonUS Paperback  

          IndieBoundpaperback

          Barnes & Noble  


To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author's tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you'd like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!

Thursday, February 17, 2022

#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRY CHALLENGE 261 #PhotoPrompt #CrapseyCinquain @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #anxiety

Hello, beautiful readers! This week, on Colleen Chesebro's TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge, she has given us a photo to inspire our poetry. In a separate post, she introduced me to an American poetry format called the Crapsey Cinquain.

This cinquain contains 5 lines with the syllabic pattern of 2-4-6-8-2. The first four lines create a drama that builds up to the fourth line. The last line pivots from that drama. To get a more in-depth understanding, check out her post here.

Here is the chosen picture and my Crapsey Cinquain:

(courtesy of "Prettysleepy" on Pixabay.com)


Door of Opportunity

tick tock
decision time
will it be worth the risk?
unknown challenges await me
let's go!


I chose to focus on anxiety and indecisiveness, two crutches that love to play tag in my mind. My anxiety needs me to work out every possible scenario of a moment to understand the dangers before me. It goes back to that time when our ancestors lived in fight-or-flight mode and needed to assess every situation in a moment's notice. I sometimes spend so much time in scenario-land that I can't make a decision because although the pondered thought usually starts off as something simple, it builds into an impossible situation in my head.

I have become more aware of how my mind works and why it does what it does over the past few years as I focus on self-care through mindfulness, meditation, emotional frequency tapping, and talk therapy. So, my pivot (line 5) has me letting go of that indecisiveness and finally making a choice to embrace whatever lies ahead of me. 

As I've mentioned before, I am new to syllabic poetry forms, so if I didn't quite use this form correctly, feel free to let me know and guide me as I love learning and growing. Have a great day, everyone! :-)



Wednesday, February 9, 2022

#TANKATUESDAY Weekly #POETRYCHALLENGE #SpecificForm #Abhanga @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro

 

Hello, beautiful readers! This week, Colleen Chesebro challenged poets to create an Abhanga poem for her #TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge. As she explains, an Abhanga poem has 4-line stanzas that follow the 6-6-6-4 syllabication pattern and has an end scheme rhyme of abbc. This poetic form is new to me, and I enjoyed learning about it. I chose to write a double Abhanga for this week's challenge.

The Voices Within

 

your whispers torture me

insults play on repeat

my strength sapped in defeat

but I persist

 

you will not control me

I was born before you

your voice now rings untrue

inner peace wins


When I was in my teens, every poem I wrote rhymed. Now, I prefer free verse, but I enjoyed the challenge for this poem. Anxiety and rumination are silent struggles that many people have (myself included), so I wanted to honor that battle while showing one's ability to persevere and find peace. I hope you enjoyed my poem.

If you'd like to try writing your own Abhanga poem, click here for the information! I'd love to see what you create. :-)

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Valentine's Sale! Don't you just LOVE free books! #booksale #freebooks #RRBC #RWISA #Smashwords #Amazon #Diasodz #fantasy #paranormal #fantasyseries #paranormalseries

Hello, beautiful readers! It's the season of love, and I love my readers so much that I've decided to put two of my books on sale (with a reminder of a book that is always free for you to download). See below...


The One Discovered (Book 1 of the Chronicles of the Diasodz) is always FREE. Start the five book series that will take you on a journey of twists and turns while you try to determine which side deserves to live. If you have Amazon, you can download it here. If you have any other kind of reader, you can download it here.

The One Enlightened (Book 2 of the Chronicles of the Diasodz) is currently exclusively on Amazon. This book will dive deeper into the world of the Diasodz  while you learn about their history and the secrets they try to keep hidden. It will be on sale for FREE from February 10-14. 2022.


The One Chosen is a Diasodz short story which will share with you the beginning of Nolan and Valerie's love story. This story is what put everything else into motion, and you won't want to miss it! It will be FREE from today until February 14, 2022, on Smashwords, which also has mobi downloads so my Kindle lovers can still download it. 

I hope you will all take advantage of these freebies! Please, share the news with your friends who enjoy reading as much as you do. They deserve to enjoy this love as well. Happy shopping! :-)



Monday, February 7, 2022

Welcome to the WATCH RWISA WRITE 2022 Anthology Release! "Life Is But A Rose Garden" @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA

Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I'd like to introduce you to the WATCH RWISA WRITE 2022 Anthology, "Life Is But A Rose Garden," debuting on Amazon today for only $2.99!  I invite you to take a look at the promo for this little gem below. I have a few poems in this anthology, so I ask for your support by purchasing a copy, as well as spreading the word of its release via your own social media!



Thank you for dropping by today in support of this new release!  I hope that what you find between the covers brings you much joy and pleasure as you read it, and I also hope that some of what you find here will give you pause - just a little pause, though, before you hop to your feet and spring into action! There are many calls to action in this little gem!

Thank you, again, for your support!



Wednesday, February 2, 2022

#TankaTuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge No. 259: #Tastetherainbow-Color Poetry @SyllabicPoetry @ColleenChesebro #haiku

 Hello, beautiful readers! Today I'm participating in Colleen Chesebro's Tanka Tuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge. This week is all about colors. Recently, I wrote a scene in my current WIP where mother and child lie on the grass and stare up at the sky to find familiar shapes in the clouds. As a child, I used to love how fun it was to use my imagination in this manner. It was such an easy way to find peace and enjoy a lazy afternoon. Sadly, today's youth are so fixated on their phones, they barely even look at eye level to see the beauty around them (or the pole in front of them). If you have a small child, I hope you take the time to stare up at the clouds and bask in your creativity for a little bit. I hope you enjoy the haiku that came from this inspiration:


If you'd like to join the fun, click here! :-)